First off: Welcome to The Reefing addiction. I have been hooked 53 years.
Before we go any further, curiosity on why you choose “accidental reefer” for a handle.
OK. You have some diver collected uncured live rock. Where did it come from? Because I value the biodiversity that comes in with uncured live rock, I cure it.
Check out the list of hitchhikers on Gulf Live Rock:
gulfliverock.com
How do I care for my live rock?
When you are setting up your tank you should use RO/Dl water. It is not a must but if you can get it, it is really good for your tank and reduces alga growth. You will need to get your self a hydrometer. Anyone with a saltwater tank should have one. I keep my water between 1.021 and 1.023. You can go a little higher if you have a reef tank with lots of corals. You will need to add some sort of calcium to your tank on a regular basis. I prefer liquid calcium. I add it to my reef tanks every day. You should do a 20% water change every month. Twice a month if you have an tank overcrowded with fish or corals.
Water flow is extremely important for your live rock and you reef tank. The more flow the better. You should spend a little more and get the bigger pump when you are selecting the pump for your tank. Power heads are also a must. They will help provide the high water flow you need to support a reef tank. You don't have to have a protein skimmer, but it is highly recommend. They remove the toxic waste from your water. It will reduce the amount of water changes you will have to do. I would say it is a must if you are thinking about doing a coral tank.
Lighting is another key element for a reef tank. If you are doing a fish only tank, you will not need very much light to support your live rock. You can use florescent light bulbs. Make sure you have some bulbs in the blue spectrum. They sell actinic bulbs in most fish shops. If you plan to set up a reef tank with corals you will need a little better lighting. We recommend at least 2 watts of light per a gallon of tank space. So if you have a 30 gallon tank, you would need at least 60 watts of light to support corals. You can achieve this intense lighting with VHO fluorescents, T5s, power compacts, and medal halides. I like to keep my lights on for 8 to 10 hours a day. If you stat to see your alga get out of control reduce the time your lights are on. A timer is a very useful tool for aquarium lighting. You should also keep a critter clean up crew in your tank. They keep the tank clean and they eat alga. Check out our critter packs on our specials page.
